Video: Greg Minnaar 'You Do Wonder if You're Capable of Winning Again'
Press Release: The Syndicate
"My last win was in 2017. In the back of your mind you do wonder if you're capable of winning again."
39 years young, Greg Minnaar is re-defining what an action sports athlete can do in the 'latter' years of their career, as he consistently progresses year on year, with a drive that's un-matched to this day.
Coming into 2020, with it being such a short season there was no time to build into things, you had to come out of the gate swinging.
After a podium in Maribor, Greg went on to prove he still had the speed by taking Round 3 out in Lousa.
"I want to race to win, I want to be on the podium. That's why I know it's not time yet, there's still unfinished business. And it needs to be taken care of."
Go into the mind of the G.O.A.T as he gives you an honest and insightful account into his mindset and preparation, that has kept him on top to this day.
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
the nice thing about dh racing is that as a fan you shout and root for all the riders and not only for one rider/team like in other sports. however greg winning again feels like a hometeam victory for every single fan in the world
I don't know if Luca Shaw have the same problem, he seem to struggle with his mental game too
Minnaar is a big champ, but it seem he continually need this sort of interaction between the other riders, juste look what he post in the others IG riders posts. It probably worse if youre in his paddock every weekend.
Loris can definitely give as good as he gets (see any video of him and Jordie from Fox and the constant trash talking!) and Greg seems like a nice guy and very sportsmanlike competitor/team mate (I’ve met him briefly once and he also does not have that reputation).
Not gonna say Minnaar bullies everyone at all, he is such a great guy outside of the sport, I remember him paying a round of drinks in a pub in Morzine, speaking friendly with everyone
But apparently Vergier had some trouble with him as a team mate, they are not on bad terms at all, but in Vergier choice of leaving for another team it was a big part of the decision.
I for one typically bust the balls of those ones I care about the most. Differant generation I guess... But it seems like everybody is so hypersensitive these days. That being said, I also feel like Loris is a guy who can take it. I think the major key component to his change in teams was monetary, which I can't blame him for.
I'm not accusing anyone of this, but I feel compelled to get on my soapbox for a bit. To get a little philosophical, even if Loris is "sensitive" and needs a more supportive environment, what's wrong with that? Greg defines it one way, Loris defines it another. It just seems that some in this world have this idea that people who are more sensitive are somehow weaker, when it's really not the case.
Let's take the opposite hypothetical, that Loris is running to something, rather than away. If Loris recognizes he needs a different environment to perform at his absolute peak, and leaves the known comfort of the Syndicate to find that, then that takes some courage to go out and get what he wants. It's a risk, a leap. There's no guarantee that it'll work out for him. I don't think there's anything more courageous than that. Way too many people (me included sometimes) let opportunities slip by giving up, rolling over, or discounting their own needs because they think they're not worth it.
So f*cking go get it Loris, and get an Overall too
He learned from Peaty & still has what it takes to win or he would not be there
But he does put pressure on everyone else, to push, but you have to be strong to beat Greg?
If he wins one more, he's the goat for sure! Nico's 10 World Championships are impressive but he didn't have anywhere near the longevity of Greg's career. He's spot on when he says he never had a big run of wins like Gwin and a couple other racers have, he just has always been consistently near the top for the last 20 years. I wonder how many more wins he would have had if he had a bike that was actually long enough for him for the first 3/4 of his career?
- Sealed internal shifting system unaffected by weather and the elements.
- No exposed rear derailleur that could be ripped off or damaged from rocks and other obstacles.
- Chain much less likely to break and cause the bike to be unpedalable or get jammed up and injure the rider like when Luca Shaw broke his back after his chain broke.
- More centralized weight distribution of drivetrain for better bike handling.
over here way ober >50% are e-bikes